“We now have decades of proof that treating marijuana
use as a crime is a failed strategy. It continues to damage the
credibility of our public health officials and compromise our
public safety. At a fundamental level, it has eroded our respect
for the law and what it means to be charged with a criminal
offense: 40 percent of Americans have tried marijuana at some point
in their lives. It cannot be that 40 percent of Americans truly are
criminals.”

There is a Senate bill in place in Olympia that would make the
wishes of former state Rep. Toby Nixon, the Republican, and state
Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles, a Seattle Democrat, come to fruition.

“Decriminalize” means if you’ve got stash for your own use, or
even if you hand some to friends and don’t make a lot of money on
it, that you can be fined civilly and forced to pay $100, which you
could do by mail.